Basketball Deflection Device

ABSTRACT

There is described a basketball deflection device. It includes a flat platform and a plurality of pairs of suspension elements. One end of the suspension elements is attached to the platform and the other end of the suspension elements is attached to a basketball basket rim, thereby suspending the platform from the basketball basket rim. Each pair of the plurality of suspension elements is of a different length such that the platform hangs at an angle in which a front edge of the platform is lower than a back edge of the platform.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This United States patent application claims priority to Canadian patent application no. 3,103,952, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Basketball is a sport, like many other sports, which requires discipline, training, and repetition. The goal in basketball is to shoot a basketball so that the ball goes through the opponent's basket. This is how a team scores points. Today's basketball game has become increasingly dependent on players' outside shooting ability, particularly the three-point shot. Long shots typically mean long rebounds. To become proficient at long range shots, a player must spend hours of practice at shooting the basketball, to develop good muscle memory. Players often practice by themselves and rebound their own shots, including successful shots, which often drop downwards through the rim of the basket and not back to the shooter. Chasing the ball without a fellow teammate/rebounder can greatly diminish the effectiveness of a practice by reducing the number of shots taken with as much time spent chasing the basketball as shooting it.

It would be advantageous to have a training device that deflects the ball back to the player after a shot has been made, or in the player's general direction, thereby increasing the effectiveness and fun of practicing. It would also be advantageous if such a device kept successful shots from bouncing behind the basket where there could be hazards, like a road or a parking lot, or where there could be damage to cars, flowerbeds, windows or other exterior features of homes.

It would be further advantageous for such a device to be strong; to be simple; to not require adjustment between different types and locations of shots; to fit on any basketball basket rim; to be inexpensive; to be easy and fast to install, remove, store away and require no tools, except a stepladder, if the rim cannot be reached by lowering the backboard and rim; to be suitable for use indoors and outdoors; and have a clean, aesthetic style which matches well and may even enhance the look of most basketball pole/rim/backboard assemblies.

SUMMARY

There is described a basketball deflection device comprising a flat platform and a flat platform; and a plurality of pairs of suspension elements, one end of the suspension elements attached to the platform and the other end of the suspension elements attached to a basketball basket rim thereby suspending the platform from the basketball basket rim, wherein each pair of the plurality of suspension elements is of a different length such that the platform hangs at an angle in which a front edge of the platform is lower than a back edge of the platform.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments are described by reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a basketball deflection device attached to the hoop of a basketball basket which is attached to a freestanding basketball backboard;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the basketball deflection device of FIG. 1 attached to the hoop of a basketball basket which is attached to a wall-mounted basketball backboard;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the basketball deflection device of FIG. 1. attached to the hoop of a basketball basket;

FIG. 4 is a right-side view of the basketball deflection device of FIG. 1. attached to the hoop of a basketball basket; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the basketball deflection device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, there is provided a portable basketball system 2 comprising a backboard 4, a post 6, a base 8 (not shown), and a basketball basket 10 comprising a hoop 12 and a net 14. Attached to the hoop 12 is a basketball deflection device 16, consisting of a circular platform 18 suspended from the hoop 12 by four suspension elements comprising two anterior straps 20 and two posterior straps 22. The straps 20, 22 are threaded through four narrow, rectangular slots 24 located around the periphery of the circular platform 18 and secured by loops 26. The straps 20, 22 pass over the hoop 12 and are secured by a securing means 28 such as a strap clip or carabiner.

The four narrow, rectangular slots 24 are regularly spaced apart around the circular platform 18 to accept the four straps 20, 22, thereby distributing the weight of the circular platform 18 evenly. The thin profile of the straps 20, 22 against the hoop 12 does not interfere with basketball shots that hit the hoop 12. The two anterior straps 20 are longer than the two posterior straps 22 so that the circular platform 18 balances at an angle.

The circular platform 18 is flat and may have a thickness of 4-6 mm and a diameter of 19.25 inches which ideally matches the outside diameter of a standard basketball hoop. The 19.25 inches diameter of the circular platform 18 additionally allows the straps 20, 22 to hang vertically, which gives the basketball deflection device 16 an aesthetically pleasing look.

The characteristic of the circular platform 18 with only four straps 20, 22 allows a basketball (not shown) to bounce and backspin off the surface of the circular platform 18 from all angles of shots through a full 180 degrees, even back to the shooter from a baseline shot. The design of the circular platform 18, being round with no sharp edges, and the fact that the circular platform 18 is not fixed in its position, but rather hangs loosely, causing much less impact should a person collide with it, are features that make it safe to use.

In other embodiments, different numbers of suspension elements and different types of suspension elements, such as cords, chains, or cables, could be used to hang the platform from the basketball hoop in a different manner. The circular platform could also be replaced by a platform with a slightly oval shape. The platform could, in fact, be of any shape that deflects the basketball back to the shooter. The thickness of the platform could be greater or smaller depending on the material used. The diameter of the platform could be in the range of 18 to 24 inches.

The platform may be made of polycarbonate due to its properties of strength, resistance to ultraviolet light, and significant friction with a basketball, but could also be made of a similar polymer, metal, or wood. When made of polycarbonate, the platform is transparent and makes the device aesthetically pleasing and matches the transparency of most backboards, making it appear as a natural extension of the hoop, net, and backboard assembly. The transparency additionally, and importantly, does not obstruct a player's vision of the basketball or of the surroundings.

FIG. 2 shows the basketball deflection device 16 attached to the hoop 12 of a net 14 which is attached to a wall-mounted basketball backboard 30. FIG. 3 shows a front view of the basketball deflection device 16 of FIG. 2 attached to the hoop 12 of a net 14.

As shown in more detail in FIG. 4, the circular platform 18 is centered under the hoop 12 and is sloped from back to front. According to one embodiment, the difference in height from the back edge of the circular platform 18 to the front edge of the circular platform 18 is ideally 8 inches. When attached to the hoop 12, the anterior straps 20 measure 21 inches in length from the hoop 12 to the circular platform 18 and the posterior straps 22 measure 15 inches in length from the top of the hoop 12 to the circular platform 18. The anterior and posterior strap 20, 22 lengths could vary, but maintaining their 6-inch difference in length ensures an 8-inch difference in height between the back and front of the circular platform 18 creating an ideal platform slope. The slope of the circular platform 18 can, however, be varied by changing the difference in length of straps such that the difference in the height of the anterior and posterior straps 20, 22 is between the range of 6-10 inches, depending on how fast the ball is desired to be deflected.

FIG. 5 details the straps 20, 22, of an embodiment. The lower ends of the straps 20, 22 pass through the slots 24 in the circular platform 18 and are secured as loops 26. The upper ends of the straps 20, 22 pass over the hoop (not shown) of the net (not shown) and are secured by securing means 28.

During use of the invention, when a basketball player makes a successful shot, the basketball passes through the hoop 12 of the basketball basket 10. The basketball is then deflected by the platform back to the shooter rather than dropping to the ground and rolling away from the shooter who would then usually have to spend time retrieving the basketball. The deflection device also prevents the basketball from rolling into hazards that may surround a freestanding basketball assembly.

The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   -   2 portable basketball system     -   4 backboard     -   6 post     -   8 base     -   10 basketball basket     -   12 hoop     -   14 net     -   16 basketball deflection device     -   18 circular platform     -   20 anterior straps     -   22 posterior straps     -   24 slots     -   26 loops     -   28 securing means     -   30 wall-mounted basketball backboard 

1. A basketball deflection device, comprising: a flat platform; and a plurality of pairs of suspension elements, one end of the suspension elements attached to the platform and the other end of the suspension elements attached to a basketball basket rim thereby suspending the platform from the basketball basket rim, wherein each pair of the plurality of suspension elements is of a different length such that the platform hangs at an angle in which a front edge of the platform is lower than a back edge of the platform.
 2. The basketball deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the platform is an ellipse.
 3. The basketball deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the platform is a circle.
 4. The basketball deflection device according to claim 3, wherein the circle has a diameter of between 18 inches and 24 inches.
 5. The basketball deflection device according to claim 3, wherein the circle has a diameter of 19.25 inches.
 6. The basketball deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the platform has a thickness of between 4 mm and 6 mm.
 7. The basketball deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the platform is constructed from a material chosen from any one of the group of polycarbonate, a polymer similar to polycarbonate, metal, and wood.
 8. The basketball deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the platform incorporates a plurality of peripheral attachment sites.
 9. The basketball deflection device according to claim 8, wherein the peripheral attachment sites are narrow rectangular apertures.
 10. The basketball deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the suspension elements are chosen from any one of the group of straps, cords, chains, and cables.
 11. The basketball deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the different lengths of the plurality of pairs of suspension elements are chosen such that the front edge of the platform hangs between 6 inches and 10 inches below the back edge of the platform.
 12. The basketball deflection device according to claim 11, wherein the different lengths of the plurality of pairs of suspension elements are chosen such that the front edge of the platform hangs 8 inches below the back edge of the platform.
 13. The basketball deflection device according to claim 1, wherein the number of the plurality of pairs of suspension elements is two, comprising two posterior suspension elements and two anterior suspension elements.
 14. The basketball deflection device according to claim 13, wherein the length of the two posterior suspension elements is adjusted such that there is a distance of 15 inches between the basketball basket rim and the platform; and wherein the length of the two anterior suspension elements is adjusted such that there is a distance of 21 inches between the basketball basket rim and the platform. 